Adjustable height gurney



May 6, 1958 H. B. sAUNDERs 2,833,587

ADJUSTABLE HEIGHT GURNEY Enea May 11, 1956 HTTPS.

United States Patent O 2,833,587 ADJUSTABLE HEIGHT GURNEY HarryV BairdSaunders, Woodland, Calif.

Application May 1'1, 1956, Serial'No. `584,324 1y Claim'. (Cl. 296''20)`This invention relates in general to an improved wheeled or mobilestretcher, commonly known as a gurney, which is used for supporting and'transferring an ill or injured person-in a recumbent position-from pointto point.

The major object of this invention is to provide a stretcher which isreadily adjustable in heigltg, there being a top or mattress supportingframe ofI the stretcher movable betweenv a lowered position relativelyclose to the tloor or ground, anda raised position at substantially theheight of a hospital bed oroperatingtable. When in the lowered position,the stretcher can be conveniently carried in an ambulance :forv use inmuch the same manner as a conventionalstretcher, andyet at the hospitalthe stretcher can be adjusted to raise the person thereon to a level'ofthe hospital bed or operatingtable.

Another important object of the inventionis to prof vide a stretcher, asabove', which' includes a novel adjustable mounting structure" betweenthe top or mattressframe and a wheeledl bottom or cam'er frame;suchmounting structure incorporatinga lever assembly which effectivelysupports such top frame for up vor down motion, while maintaining thesame horizontal at all times. v

Anadditional object of the invention 4is to provide Ia` stretcher, asin* the preceding paragraph, which includes novel power mechanism' foraccomplishing such vertical adjustment of the top frame relative to thebottom frame; such mechanism normally holdingsaid top frame in itsselected position of adjustment.`

It is also an`objectof the. invention to provide an adjustableheightlstretcher which isA designed for' ease and simplicity ofmanufacture and convenience of'us'e.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a practical,reliable, and durable fadjustableheight' gurney, and onewhich will beexceedingly effective for the purpose for which it is designed.

These objects are accomplished by means of such stru-cture and relativearrangement of parts as will fully appear by a perusal of the followingspecification and claim.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation, partly broken away and partly in section, ofthe stretcher; the top or mattress supporting frame being shown in fulllines in a raised position and in dotted lines in a lowered position.

Fig. 2 is Ia plan view of the stretcher partly broken away and partly insection.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional elevation taken on line 3-3of Fig. 2.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, and to the charactersof reference marked thereon, the

2,833,587A Patented Matyu 6, 1958 o lCC 2. spaced side beams 3, eachformed with a drop-center section, as shown, and said side beams 3being` of in-` wardly opening, channel form incross section. The sidebeams 3 are rigidly/,connected at the ends by lower cross beams, theforward one of which is indicated atk 4, which cross beams are arcuatein a longitudinally inward direction in order to provide for fullclearance for the' person walking at the endy of-and manipulating-thestretcher.

BeyondA theV drop-center section 3-i; e. at the ends thereof-each of theside `beams 3 is fitted withv and supported by a caster wheel unit 5. Y

Thetop frame 2 includes side beams 6V of inwardly opening,fchannel formin section, and whichside -b'eams are connected at the ends by crossbeams 7; such top frame being provided with a cover plate 8- on which apad or mattress 9 lis disposed to support the Vperson carried by thestretcher.

The following adjustable mounting structure connects the top frame 2with the bottom frame 1 in supported but vertically adjustable relation:

At eaclifside of the gurney there is-a' pair of. intersect.- ing leverarms 10 and 11 disposed in a longitudinal verticalv plane; `suchleverarms being relatively elongated with the point of intersectionvsubstantially centrallyof their ends, and at said point the lever arms10 -andr11 of each pair are transverselyv pivoted together,'asatv12; lnorder to stabilize thev intersecting and pivoted-together lever arms 10and 11 against lateralwobbling, saidV` arms are tted on adjacent faceswith intersecting stabilizer plates 13 which engage in face to facerelation.

The pivots 12 of the pairs of lever arms 10- -and'l11 are alinedtransversely of the stretcher, and-at one end of the mountingstructure-the'upper and' lower'ends-Iof the lever arms of each pair arepivoted by bolts 14to blocks 15 fixedv to the adjacent side beams 6-andv 3of the respective frame. At the other end of the mountingstructure, the upper ends of the lever arms A1l), which lie inwardly ofcorrespondinglever arms 11, arevv con`= nected by la cross shaft 16which projects atlthe' ends beyond said arms; the ends of the crossshaft 16'A being bars 19.

adjustable height stretcher comprises a bottom or carrier With thevabove describedlmounting, structure-between the bottom frame 1 and thetopV frame 2, scissors-like movement lof' such" structurecauses'vertical adjustment of said top frame; such movementbeingattained through the' luse of the' following power mechanism:

Intermediate the ends thereof the top frame 2 is provided with a crossshaft 20, and a pair of transversely spaced, relatively small-diameterpower cylinders 21 are connected at their rear ends by yokes 22 to saidcross shaft 2i), thence extending longitudinally-along but inwardly ofthe side beams 6-in the direction of the cross shaft 16. At their outerends the power cylinders 21 include projecting piston rods 23, eachfitted with a yoke 24 coupled to the cross shaft 16 between thecorresponding lever arm 10 and the related roller 17.

i It will be recognized that when the power cylinders 21 are contracted,the mounting structure-comprised of the pairs -of intersecting leverarms 10 and 11-wil1 be verti cally extended, with the top frame 2 in araised position. With such vertical extension the rollers 17 and 1Stravel inwardly in the channels of the related side beams 6 and 3, asshown in full lines in Fig. l.

Conversely, when the power cylinders 21 are extended,

the top frame 2 occupies aA lowered position, as shown in dotted linesin said figure.

The power cylinders 21 are actuated and controlled by a fluid pressureconduit system comprising the following: `A` manual type-hydraulic pump25V is supported by a bracket B `xed to, anddepending from, one of theside beams 6 adjacent but short: of an end offthe `top frame 2; `suchpump including Va `longitudinally extending, pump actuated `lever orhandle 26 fitted at the outer end with Aa grip27 which isdisposed belowthenear end of the top frame 1".l y t t By engaging the grip 27 andworking the handle 26 up and down, the hydraulicpump 25 is actuated,feeding pressure `to the power cylinders 21 andcausing contrae tionthereof and resultant raising of the top frame 2; said cylinders beingof `a type which shorten in their effective length uponthe applicationof uid pressure to their outer ends."`

More specifically, thehydraulic'pump 25 has an intake fitting 28`connected by a'hose 29` with the bottom of a hydraulic fluid reservoir30 mounted on the` near end beamt7 inwardlythereof; the output fittingof the pump being indicated at 31.

A T 32 is connected to theioutputitting 31, and conduits i I 33 and `34`lead Afromfsuch 'l' to correspondingones of thevpower cylinders 21 atthe outer ends of the latter.;

Intermediate theends thereof the `conduit 33, in a por-` tion' thereofwhich extends transversely of thetopframe 2, has another T 3S interposedtherein, and the lateral leg of such :Teonnects to avalve 36 whose otherend returns to-and is 'in communication withthe reservoir 30 at thebottom thereof; saidv valve 36 having a hand lever 37.

`When `the pump 25 is actuated to feed pressure to the otherconduits ssand -39 lead from'the rear ends of the power cylinders` 21 tocorresponding ends of the` reservoir 30; `these last named conduitsbeing merely-,for the purpose of bleeding backto thevreservoir any ofthe hydraulic uid which may bypass thepistonsin the power cylinders 21and gain access to the'rear portions thereof. l For the purposeoffmanual1y towing the stretcher, when desired, a pull rod 40 isprovided; such pull rod being fitted at its rear end` with a stop knob41, and at its forward `endwith a late ral handle 42 The pull rod 40normally extends through a hole 43 in`one of the lower cross bearnsAcentrally of its ends, with the handle 42 adjacent the front o fsaidcrossbeamand depending therefrom; the

rod 40 then being supported intermediate its ends by one of the crossbars 19. See Fig. 1.

In use of the pull rod 40 the handle 42 is grasped and said rod ispulled outwardly until the stop knob 41 abuts the back side of therelated cross beam 4; the handle then projecting in a stretcher pullingposition from one end thereof, and as shown-in part-in dotted lines insaid figure. p t

The described stretcherwhile being relatively simple in itsstructure--is extremely practical and advantageous, particularly withrespect to the ability to adjust such stretcher in its effective height,for the purposes hereinbefore recited.

From the foregoing description it will be readily seen that there hasbeen produced such a device as will substantially fulfill the objects ofthe invention as set forth herein.

While this specification sets forth in detail the present and preferredconstruction of the device, still in practice suchxdeviationsl -fromsuch detail maybe resorted to `as do not form a departure from thespirit of the invention, as defined by the appended claim. Y j..

Having `thus described therinvention, the. following `is claimed as newand useful,y and upon which Letters Patent are desired:V s

fAn adjustable-height stretcher comprising an elongated wheel-supportedbottom frame which includes inwardly facing channel side beams, anelongated mattress-supporting top frame which includes inwardly facingchannel side beams, pairs of intersecting lever arms disposed intransversely spaced longitudinal planes, the lever arms of each pairbeing pivotally connectedrintermediate. their ends, means transverselypivotingthe corresponding upper and lower ends of the lever arms to thecorresponding side beams of the top and bottom frames, rollers Aon theother ends of the arms riding in said beams, hydraulic cylindersparallel to and laterally inward of the side beams of the upper frame,and in al longitudinal position between the upper ends of thepairs ofarms, means connecting the 4cylinders at one end to` those arms havingthe rollers on their upper ends, means connecting the cylinders at theirother ends to the corresponding side beams of the upper frame, and amanually operated fluid pressure system mounted on the upper frameadjacent one end and connected to the cylinders to supply power thereto.

' References Cited in the file of this patent l UNITED STATES PATENTS

